Railway crossing signal switch



May 14, 1940. G Z|NT V 2,2009570 RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL SWITCH Filed Oct. 10, 1939 Patented May 14, 1940 sr'res ETEY FFME 3 Claims.

The invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive, yet an effective and reliable caroperated switch for use in connection with a railway crossing signal to give a visible and/or audible alarm whenever a car or train is approaching the crossing.

The switch is suitably mounted near the railway track, a safe distance from the crossing, and an operating shaft of said switch is provided with a lateral rod extending into the path of a car or train on said track, whereby the car or train may swing said rod to turn said shaft in switch-operating direction, and a further object is to make novel provision whereby said rod `may idly slide with respect to said shaft should the car or train be stopped and reversed while holding said rod in the switch-operating posi.- tion to which it has been swung, overcoming any danger of breaking any parts of the mechanism. This idle sliding of the rod is of particular advantage when the invention is used for crossings across which freight or other trains must move back and forth in shunting cars onto or removing them from. sidings and the like.

While the invention is intended primarily for use with actual railways, it may of course be constructed in miniature form for toy railroads.

Figure l oi the accompanying drawing is a perspective vewpartly broken away and in'section.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary disassembled perspective view.

Figure 4 is a diagram.

A switch Si is shown for operating a remote railway crossing signal (not shown) said switch having an operating shaft 5. In the present disclosure, the switch S is normally open and is closed by passage ci a car or train in one direction over the track T, but it will be obvious that the invention couldv operate with a normally closed circuit if desired.

In the present showing, the switch S is mounted within a casing li which may be suitably secured at l to some of the usual railway ties or to special ties 8 somewhat longer than the others. I have shown a vertical tubular bearing ii secured at I0 to the top of the casing 6 and extending upwardly into a removable cap il which may be suitably secured at l2 upon said casing E. The-bearing Q receives the shaft 5 and in the present disclosure, the lower end of this shaft carries an arm I3 to which a cam I4 of insulating material, is secured, said cam serving to push one contact ng'er l5 of the switch against the other iinger I6 when said shaft 5 is turned in one direction. When the switch includes the spring lingers l5 and I6, they are suitably mounted upon an insulating block l5 carried by an appropriately mounted bracket it, which bracket may well be securedg', to the lower side of the top 20 of the casing ii. The current-conducting wires 2l may well pass through a suitable conduit, a portion of which is shown at 22, said wires extending on to the crossing signal. This signal may well be of the :.10 typ-e shown in my U. S. Patent 1,735,709 of liovember l2, 1929.

Upon the upper end of the shaft 5, within the cap il, I have shown a collar '23 which may be secured to said shaft by a pin its or in any other '15 desired manner. The collar thus virtually forms part of the shaft 5, I provide a rod-guiding opening liti which extends diametrically through said collar in alinement with a similar opening 26 in the shaft. A horizontal rod 2l has one of 20 its ends slidably received in the openings and said rod being of such length that its other end will be disposed in the path of a car or train or. the track 'l' to be struck by the same for the purpose of turning the shaft in switch-opery25 ating direction. If the rod be at such an elevation that it might mar any of the iinish of the Acar or train, it may be provided with an appropriate yieldable terminal such as a rubber cap or sleeve 28. When the cap Il is employed on the casing 6, said cap will of course be formed with a suitable slot 2d through which the rod 2l passes.

When the rod 2i' is swung to the full line position of Figure 4 by a car or train C, said arm turns the shaft 5 to bring the switch S into operation, thereby operating the remote crossing signal (not shown). A car or the like striking the arm 2l while moving in the opposite direction will simply swing said arm to the dotted line position. shown at the right of Figure fl, and the movement of the shaft 5 caused by this armr swinging, will not operate the switch S, Should the car or train be stopped while it is holding the arm 2l in the switch-operating positiony shown in full lines in Figure i and said car or train be then reversed, damaged parts would result were it not for a novel slidable and yieldable connection between said rod 2l and the shaft 5. In. the present disclosure, this connection is formed 50 partially by passing the rod through the openings 25 and 2t, and partially by a spring arm 30 which normally projectsthe rod 21 from the shaft 5 to the limit allowed by a stop 3l. In the present showing, the stop 3l is in the form of an 55 eye on one end of the rod 21 to normally abut the periphery of the collar 23, and said eye receives the free end of the spring arm 3G. This arm 3E] may well extend from a spring coil 32 carried by another spring arm 33 suitably secured tothe collar 23. In the present showing, the arm 33 passes upwardly through an opening 34 in the collar 23, then extends horizontally upon said collar at 35, then passes downwardly through another opening 35 in the collar and is finally clinched against the lower' side of this collar as indicated at 3l'.

Should the train or -Car move reversely from the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, while holding the rod 2l in the switch-operating position shown in full lines in said gure, the rod 21 will simply slide through theopenings 25 and 26 as it is swung toward the right in said figure, and no damage to any parts will thus occur. During this idle sliding of the rod 2?, the spring arm 3U or any other desired spring which may be employed in connection with the rod, simply yields and allows the necessary sliding. As soon as the rod 2l is again freed, the spring arm or the like 3l) again projects said rod 2l to the maximum in readiness for further operation. To normally hold the shaft 5 in a neutral position, suitable springs 38 are employed, and I have shown these springs connected at one end with the arm I3 and at their other ends with the casing 6.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention. While certain specific features of construction have been disclosed and rather specifically described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than limiting, and that numerous variations may be made within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

l. In a railway signal, a signal switch having an operating shaft, said shaft being provided with a transverse rod guide, means for mounting said switch in spaced relation with a railway track, a rod transverse to said shaft and having one end slidably engaged with said rod guide, said rod being of a length to extend into the path of a car on the track, whereby said rod will be swung by the car to turn said shaft in switch-operating direction, a stop for limiting the extent which said road may project from said shaft, and a spring acting on said rod and reacting on said shaft i'or normally projecting said rod to the limit allowed by said stop, said spring allowing said rod to slide idly with respect to said shaft if the car be reversed While holding said rod in switch-operating position.

2. In a railway signal, a signal switch having an upstanding operating shaft, said shaft being provided at its upper end with a transverse rod guide, means for mounting said switch in spaced relation with a railway track, a horizon tal rod having one end slidably engaged with said rod guide, said rod being of a length to extend horizontally into the path of a car on the track, whereby said rod will be swung horizontally by the car to turn said shaft in switchoperating direction, a stop for limiting the extent which said rod may project from said shaft, and a spring acting on said rod and reacting on said shaft for normally projecting said rod to the limit allowed by said stop, said spring allowing said rod to idly slide horizontally with respect to said shaft if the car be reversed while holding said rod in switch-operating position.

3. In a railway signal, a signal switch having an operating shaft, said shaft having a radial opening, means for mounting said switch near a railway track, a rod transverse to said shaft and having one end slidably received in said opening, said rod end having an eye normally abutting said shaft and limiting the extent which said rod may project from said shaft, said rod being of a length to extend into the path of a car on the track, whereby said rod will be swung by the car to turn said shaft in a switch-operating direction, and a spring arm mounted on said shaft and extending through said eye to project said rod from said shaft to the limit permitted by said eye, said spring arm allowing idle sliding of said rod through said opening if the car e 

